The Crucible
The Crucible is a region of northern Aureon, between the Pyre Spires and the Frostcap Mountains. It is a contested region, with various regional powers vying for control of its resources and peoples. Etymology The Crucible's name is an Andari/Brician corruption of the original Dwarven name for the region: Karus-Abhel. Karus-Abhel means "the Kingdom of the Karus", synonymous with a Dwarven kingdom that once spanned the entire area. There are many Dwarf clans that still call this region home, but are just as often using the Andari derived version of the name in their writings as a means of showing their hardships. Geography and Climate The Crucible is at the northern edge of Aureon, along the coast of the Brician Sea. The Crucible is at it's lowest point at the mouth of the Ashflow River, which runs for most of the length of the Crucible and empties into the Brician Sea. The land rises sharply to the east, forming the Frostcap Mountains. To the south, the Pyre Spires (a volcanic chain) intercepts the Frost Caps and forms the southern end of the Crucible (though some consider Arbogast Vale to be a part of the Crucible, most often it is considered part of the Central Plateau. To the West are the Greyrock Hills, not as high as the Frostcaps but a significant region of forested hills. The Weald, a largely coniferous forest, dominates the ecology of most of the Crucible. This forest rings the land, but gives way to scrubby plains closer to the Ashflow River. History Not much is known about the history of the Crucible before the formation of Karus-Abhel. Legends tell of it being the battleground of elemental gods, whose deceased physical forms became the mountain chains that surround the area. Elven Empire The Elves seem to have explored the region, though they chose not to settle it, during the time of their empire. Karus-Abhel The Dwarves arrived from the East before their writing system was fully established, and so their are few corroborating descriptions of their arrival. They established a number of clanholds which would eventually become dominated by the city-state of Ashflow. The Princes of Ashflow would find a crisis in the arrival of humans and elves to their lands, whom they failed to dominate and seemingly lost the mandate of Heaven and their kingdom as well. Conflicts with the Aureon Empire eventually led to the land being Crusaded against, and the last ruler (the Scorched Prince) vanished. Brician and Geir Colonization Brician Humans arrived by sea in the north of the Crucible even before Karus-Abhel collapsed. They settled a number of towns along the coast, and their knowledge of ships was beneficial to the trade of Karus-Abhel for a time. The Bricians proved quarrelsome and hard to rule over, however, and conflicts would often break out with their Dwarven overseers. When the Dwarves reclused themselves in their clan-holds, the Bricians began to migrate southwards. The Geir would arrive from the east about the time of the Aurean Empire fell, seizing control of most of the Crucible in their westward migrations. Having been defeated in the Greyrock Hills by the fledgling Andari Kingdom, the Geir turned south and migrated into Aureon's Central Plateau. Many decided to remain behind, however, and they found that the southern plain of the Crucible had been largely abandoned and thus was ripe for colonization. The Geir and Brician settlements would remain apart from one another, often battling for control of small stretches of territory. Where the Shield River and the Ashflow met became the center of a nominal border, though it didn't stop the flow of people north and south. The Bricians, ever fractious, would begin to raid one another. Their skill at raiding eventually saw the creation of several pirate fleets that would threaten the entire Brician Sea. Andari Arrival The Andari would go on to create the Kingdom of Arthandor, which considered itself a successor to the Aurean Empire. Within the last decade they would invade the northern part of the Crucible, ostensibly to prevent the threat of piracy but really as a demonstration of power. The question of annexation is still on the table, with many Bricians hoping to gain their freedom and others still hoping to become part of the future province of the Crucible.